Greensborough Patriot
April 3, 1861
Page1
From
the Raleigh Register
General Gideon J. Pillow
This
brave and distinguished officer who during this war, has passed unscathed
through two of the bloodiest and most hotly contested battles ever fought on
this continent, arrived in this city on Saturday morning last, and stopped at
the Yarborough House. In the afternoon
of Saturday, a large number of our citizens, being exceedingly anxious to see,
and hear the distinguished gentleman speak, assembled in front of the Court
House and appointed a Committee, consisting of the Mayor and other citizens, to
wait upon General P. and request him to address them with which request the
gallant officer very obligingly complied.
Upon being conducted to the Court House, the Court room was in a few
minutes crowded to it utmost capacity by a large and intelligent audience. Gen. P. was introduced by Mayor Root, and
arose and addressed the audience for about an hour, in one of the most interesting
speeches to which we have ever listened.
We should do the speaker injustice to attempt to report his remarks, as
we took no notes; but we will attempt to give, briefly, though incoherently,
the substance of his speech.
General
Pillow said that from the first he was confident that the attempt of the
Southern to withdraw from the Northern States would involve the country in a
desperate struggle. He did not from the
first believe that secession could be accomplished peaceably; yet, he had
advocated it and urged it upon the people of the South as the lesser of two
evils. He believed that it would be
better for the South to withdraw from the North, even though that step might
involve the two sections in a prolonged and bloody war. While he felt confident, however, that the
North would resist to the bitter end the attempt of the Southern States to
secede, he had no idea of the gigantic proportions which the struggle would
assume. When Fort Sumpter
fell, he hastened to Montgomery, and offered his services to President Davis,
and offered also to bring 10,000 Tennesseeans to the
aid of the Confederate States if he should desire it. He thought that his experience as well as his
former rank in the U. S. Army, entitled him to some consideration at the hands
of the President, for he outranked every officer in the armies of either the
Confederate or United States. He was a
Major General in the old U. S. Army, and when he rendered his services to the
President, bore the commission of Major General of the forces of his own state,
Tennessee. Notwithstanding these facts,
when President Davis did tender him a commission, he placed him at the tail end
of the Bridgadiers.
If it had been Jefferson Davis whom he wanted to serve, he would have
hurled the commission back in his face.
But he was not serving Jefferson Davis, but was serving his country, and
felt willing therefore, to serve that country in any capacity to which he might
be assigned.
General
P. then went on to refer to the battle of Fort Donelson. He said that leaving Columbus about the first
of January, he returned to his home quite sick.
When he had yet hardly recovered from his illness, he was ordered by
Gen. Sidney Johnson to report to him at Bowling Green, to which place he
forthwith repaired. When arrived there,
Gen. Johnson told him that he desired him (Gen. P.) to go to Fort Donelson and take command of the forces there
assembled. Gen. P. demurred at taking
command of the Fort, for he said Gen. Johnson must have known that the Fort
could not be held; and besides, he had no command there- his command was at
Columbus, where, he stated to Gen. J., he would prefer going. Gen. Johnson replied that Fort Donelson must be held, that he had selected General Pillow
to hold it, and that he must do so. Gen.
P. then urged no further objection, but proceeded to obey the orders of his
superior officer. Arriving at Fort Donelson on the 11th of February he found that
but little progress had been made in strengthening the fortification, and that
the soldiers were greatly demoralized and disheartened because of the recent
reverse they had sustained at Fort Henry.
He found that the defences of the Fort against
the army’s gunboats consisted of eleven small guns, one rifled 32 pounder, and one 8 inch columbiad,
the latter not being mounted. He
proceeded forthwith to move the gun and put the men to work with all their
might night and day, strengthening the works.
On the morning of the 13th of February the attack commenced. Here Gen. P. graphically described the fierce
attack of the enemy’s gunboats and their signal ____, the successful ____ of
____ ____ ____ charge upon the trenches; and gave a thrilling description of
the terrible battle of the 16th when our gallant soldiers made a
desperate attempt to cut their way through the investing lines of the enemy. This part of his speech, though of thrilling
interest, was necessarily a repetition to a considerable extent of his Official
Report, which we have already published.
After nine hours of as hard fighting as was ever witnessed on this
continent, our forces finally succeeded in opening a passage through which our
army intended retreating on the next morning.
All our forces were under arms and prepared to retreat from the works,
when at three o’clock on the morning of the 16th information was
received that the enemy had been largely reinforced, and had reoccupied the
ground from which they had been driven the day before. A consultation of the chief officers,
consisting of Gens. Gloyd,
Pillow and Buckner was held to decide what should be done. Gen. P. proposed that they should again
attempt to cut their way out, and that as they forced a passage, they should go
on, leaving their dead and wounded on the battlefield. Gen. Buckner, replied to this proposition
that the men were completely exhausted, that they had been without rest or
shelter, in the rain, snow and sleet for five days and nights, and without
food, with the exception of raw beef- that it would cost the lives of
three-fourths of their present numbers to cut their way out, and that no
officer had a right to sacrifice three-fourths of an army to save
one-fourth. Gen. Pillow himself did not
believe that the sacrifice of life would be so great, but Gen. Floyd, who was
chief in command, being the senior officer, concurred with Gen. Buckner, and
consequently this proposition was dropped.
Gen. Pillow then proposed that they should endeavor to hold out one day
longer, saying that by night the boats which had gone up the river with the
wounded and prisoners would return, when the whole force could be landed on the
other side of the river, and thus escape through the country. In reply to this Gen. Buckner said that the
enemy already had possession of the right wing of defences- that he was confident would be attacked at
daybreak, and that in the demoralized and exhausted state of his troops he
could not possibly repulse them, and consequently it was physically impossible
to hold out another day. Gen. Floyd
conceded with Buckner in this view of the case, and Gen. Pillow’s opinion being
overruled by the opinion of both of his senior and junior in command, no
alternative was left, but to surrender.
Gen. Pillow then said, I for one will not surrender- I will die
first. Gen. Floyd said the same
thing. Gen. Buckner told them that they
were placing the matter upon personal grounds- that they had no right to do so,
and that if he was placed in command he would transfer it to him, provided he
would allow him to withdraw his brigade.
Gen. Buckner consented, provided he would withdraw his Brigade before
the surrender was made. Gen. Floyd then
turned to Gen. Pillow and said: “Gen. Pillow I turn over the command to
you.” Gen. P. replied, “I will not
accept it.” Gen. Floyd then transferred
the command to Gen. Buckner, when Gens. Floyd and
Pillow, the former accompanied by his Brigade, mostly Virginians, left and
crossed the river, thereby affecting their escape.
Gen.
Pillow, to show that he was determined never to surrender to the Yankees,
incidentally referred to the battle of Belmont where he was Chief in command. At one time during the progress of this
battle, when our men were forced by the overwhelming odds against them, General
P. was hemmed in on three sides by the Yankee forces, and the fourth side was
blocked up against almost impenetrable trees, which had been felled by our
troops to impede the progress of the Yankees.
Gen. P. was the only officer who was mounted, his staff and other
officers being dismounted by the enemy’s fire.
If he had ever thought of surrendering he must have done so here; but he
had no idea of doing so here, or elsewhere.
He was mounted on a beautiful mare, which he called “Fannie Belmont,”
and saying to her, “Fannie, you must take me out of this difficulty,” he turned
her head to the open space, when she darted through the tops of the fallen
trees like lightning, splitting through those which she could not leap
over. The Yankees seeing their prey
escaping from their clutches, sent a shower of Minnie balls whistling by his
ear, but “Fannie” took him out safely.
In
the face of the facts above detailed the President had thought proper to
suspend him from command, and he was now on his way to Richmond in obedience to
the order of his Secretary of War.
Though the President was a man of strong convictions and somewhat
mulish, he did not believe that he would do any one intentional wrong. He believed that the President was a sincere
man, and a true patriot, and he was willing to abide any decision that might be
the result of the investigation of his conduct.
In
conclusion Gen. Pillow stated that Gen. Albert Sidney Johnson was now hastening
to the West to form a junction of his forces with those under Gen. Beauregard-
that the enemy had already landed some 60,000 or 70,000 troops on the East bank
of the Tennessee River, and that in two weeks a great battle would be fought on
the borders of the State of Mississippi, which would have much influence in
deciding the fate of our Confederacy. He
was now hastening to Richmond with dispatches from Gen. Johnson. If we were whipped in this battle, the enemy
would take possession of all the lines of railroad leading into ____ States,
and Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi would be subjugated. But if we should gain the victory the enemy
will be driven, dispirited and routed, out of the Mississippi Valley, and the
success of our cause will be insured.
Gen. P. urged our people as one man to put forth their whole strength in
this great struggle, and to cease speculating and trying to make money, when no
man knows how long he will be allowed to retain what he already has. He gave a vivid picture of what our fate will
be if we should be subjugated, saying that if the Yankee Government will tax
the State $40,000,000 a year, they will reduce the State to the condition of a
territory, and will appoint our Governor, legislators, Judges and other offices
now elected by the people, and will perform other acts revolting to the
feelings of every Southerner. He urged
our people, if they would escape this condition of affairs, to come up manfully
to the work. He aroused the audience
very much by saying that if we had an “Andy Johnson” among us old Lincoln would
make him our Governor.
Gen.
P. was frequently applauded during his interesting address, and was given three
cheers at the conclusion of his speech.
He
left this city Sunday morning for Richmond.
[Transcribed by: Sharon Strout]
